Finding My Sparkle
I think one thing that all makers have in common is that we often find ourselves in a constant struggle to balance our creative passions with the demands of running a little maker business. We pour our hearts and souls into creating beautiful, handmade pieces that we hope will bring joy to our customers, but somewhere along the line, we may find ourselves losing our sparkle.
I think this gradual loss of creative inspiration came from the pressure of constantly creating products that would sell well. With custom orders and market prep taking up most of my time, it's been difficult to find time for personal projects, and just general playtime.
Over the holidays I found the tipping point and quickly spiralled into a maker’s identity crisis. I knew that I couldn’t keep sacrificing my own creativity for the sake of making sales or going viral (whatever the heck that means?) So, I’ve made some bold decisions about how I’ll be approaching my little business this year.
With an overflowing yarn stash calling my name, I’ve started 2023 off with a few creative goals:
1. Only use the yarn I currently have in my studio:
I’m currently on a yarn “no-buy” and I’ve slowly implemented Project Stash Bust 2023. Within this yarn no-buy I have specific rules for myself, which I plan on sharing in another blog post soon! My hope is that having to be resourceful with the yarn that I have will help me create pieces I wouldn’t usually gravitate to. It’s only been a few months and I’ve already been reaching for colours that usually don’t catch my eye!
2. The Selfish-Makes 2023 List:
I’ve created a little pinterest board called Selfish-Makes 2023 where I have gathered some patterns and inspo for projects that I want to make for myself this year. I think a goal of making myself something once every couple of months will really help with my morale. I usually feel like I’m just crocheting for other people and getting to keep something for myself will be a nice little way of caring for myself.
3. Fewer Custom Order Slots/ No more Made to Order items in the shop:
For as long as Cozy Bones has existed I have been surviving off custom orders and made to order listings in my shop. Since Halloween I’ve been in “self care mode” when it comes to custom orders, meaning that I’m only taking on products that excite me creatively so I don’t have any slots open but if you message me with an idea that inspires me I will take on the order. I think in April, I’ll be opening up my custom order slots again but it will be a maximum of 2 a month and I’m going to be really picky about which orders I accept. In addition to this, you may have noticed that my shop stock has changed! That’s because I took down every made to order listing on my website! Everything in the shop is currently made and ready to ship the same day it's purchased. This has been a game changer for me and I definitely plan on expanding on that in a future blog post!
The chunky “cinnamon cedar” beanie I made for myself in January.
I think that taking the time to play with yarn and experiment with new techniques, colours, and styles will help me find the infamous Cozy Bones sparkle again!
If you're feeling stuck or uninspired in your maker’s journey, what are some ways that you plan to find your sparkle? I’d love to hear from you all in the comments below!
